THE SEAWEED SOLUTION

A new kind of cattle feed could change the world

- Diane Godley

SOME 15 YEARS AGO, in the picturesque Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, an organic farmer from the aptly named area of Seacow Pond split his dairy cows across two paddocks, one of which had beach frontage. Over time, Joe Dorgan noticed that his cows by the ocean were in better shape than their fellow bovines; they were producing more milk, had fewer udder infections (so, health costs decreased by one-third), and were highly reproductive. They seemed to be all-around happier animals. The only difference he could see between the two herds was the more content ones had access to the beach and were eating seaweed.

On a hunch, Dorgan dragged seaweed across the road for his land-locked cattle to see if it would make a difference. Before long, those bovines were catching up with their seaside chums. So he sold his farm to start a new enterprise, North Atlantic Organics, selling organic sea plant products to local farmers.

He knew he was on to something big. But he had no idea that what he had noticed about his cows’ new diet was about to give the world a potentially significant weapon in the fight against climate change.

IN TIME, DORGAN learned that although he could feed his own cattle seaweed and even give it away, he needed approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before he could sell it commercially. To get the agency’s go-ahead, he required data, so he approached two agriculture scientists at Dalhousie University in the neighbouring province of Nova Scotia. Their focus was on animal nutrition and alternative feed additives to enhance productivity and environmental sustainability.